It's actually an antlion, the nemesis of - yes - ants. They are the larvae of some species of insect in the family Myrmeleontidae. They appear during the dry season in partially shaded areas. You can tell their presence when you see an opposite of an anthill- a pit with soft-dusty features as shown on photos. They grow up mistaken as dragonflies, but they are actually lacewings, much thinner and a tad smaller than dragonflies.
Well, their abode is now my garden.
When we were kids, we like to collect them and make them fight. It's an elaborate process kids in our communities do. But it's a lot of fun. We even tie them up with hairs! But we release them alive and moving backwards in a while. (Yes, they move backwards, first with their butt!). But you won't believe how they trap ants! I filmed one. So here it is.
Ant & antlion fight for life. For the ant, mainly.
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